Arrangement for conveying containers and the like articles



Dec. 7, 1965 R. PAGAY 3,221,870

ARRANGEMENT FOR CONVEYING CONTAINERS AND THE LIKE ARTICLES Filed Oct. 31, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 26 Fl 6.4 [3a H 6 E5 fin) g 5 7&6

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i F F [G 4]? r Dec. 7, 1965 R. PAGAY ARRANGEMENT FOR CONVEYING CONTAINERS AND THE LIKE ARTICLES Filed Oct. 31, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 3,221,870 ARRANGEMENT FOR CONVEYING CONTAINERS AND THE LIKE ARTICLES Roger Pagay, 130 Rue du Doctenr Long, Lyon, France Filed Oct. 31, 1963, Ser. No. 320,323 Claims priority, application France, Nov. 9, 1962, 43,029, Patent 1,346,487 Claims. (Cl. 198-219) This invention pertains to conveying means.

Conveying means are known which are adapted to convey e.g. bottles carrying liquids which are to be subjected to a heat treatment and more particularly to a pasteurizing or sterilizing treatment.

Such means include generally two horizontal grates or plates while:

either one grate or plate is stationary and the other is movable and assumes two combined respectively vertical and horizontal reciprocating movements or else, both grates or plates are movable and assume both the above-mentioned combined reciprocating movements with a phase-shifting between the two grates or plates by one half-cycle.

The vertical reciprocating movements of the associated plates are controlled by a jack for each plate. The stress exerted by each jack is transmitted through a linkwork to several points of said plates, or else by a single doubleacting jack controls the two plates in opposite directions respectively.

The horizontal movement is generally controlled by a single jack through the agency of links acting on a single plate when the other plate is stationary, or else, on both plates. The phase shifting between the movements of the two plates is provided by a reversed arrangement of the link systems.

Although the above arrangements are entirely satisfactory as far as their operation is concerned, they are objectionable however insofar as their compound mechanical structure may lead to expensive repairs. Furthermore, they may require the use of bulky jacks which are difiicult to house.

It is an object of the present invention to remove such drawbacks.

The present invention contemplates an arrangement for conveying various articles, chiefly containers. The arrangement is of the type including a stationary plate and a movable plate. The movable plate is constituted by several elements interconnected by fish-plates or torsion bars and controlled each by at least four independent jacks. The reciprocating horizontal movement of the plate is obtained by means of a single jack acting directly on a cross-member of the movable plate.

In all the machines of this type heretofore used, the slats forming part of the plates are secured through crimping on the comb-shaped members carrying them. Such securing is satisfactory during normal operation. However, it may occur, when a bottle conveyed by the machine is broken, that fragments cause a release of the crimped slats, so that the machine stops and must be repaired. Obviously, the repair cannot be executed frequently without this leading to a breaking of the crimping lugs and consequently to a replacement of the combshaped members.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention and with a view to removing the above drawbacks the slats are provided with depending horizontal hooks and they are held in position by vertical combshaped members inside the notches of which said slats are fitted. The hooks engage, at the moment of the assembly of the parts, ports provided in the lower sections of the comb-shaped members while a bar engaging the ends "ice of the slats is secured to the corresponding comb-shaped members so as to ensure the locking of the slats.

The accompanying diagrammatic drawings illustrate by way of example and by no means in a limiting sense a preferred embodiment of said invention. In said draw- 1ngs:

FIGS. 1 to 4 are elevational side views of the machine, the movable plate being shown in the different positions it is to occupy during operation.

FIG. 5 illustrates the interconnecting of the elements of the movable plate by means of torsion bars.

FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view illustrating the means for securing the slats of the movable plate.

FIG. 7 is a view, on an enlarged scale, of the means for securing the slats to a comb-shaped structure of the movable plate.

As illustrated, each element of the movable plate or grate comprises two girders 5 interconnected by crossmembers 4 (FIG. 6) to which are secured the combshaped members 3 carrying the slats 2. The girders 5 rest on rollers 6 (FIG. 1) provided on the free ends of the rods of the vertical jacks 7. The bodies of jacks '7 rest directly or otherwise on ground level at 8. The girders 5 of one plate element are connected with those of the adjacent elements by fish-plates 9 and rest each on two jacks 7. The girders 5 of the first extreme elements are provided with terminal depending sections 11. A crossmember 12 is secured to the lower end of sections 11 to which is pivotally secured the body of a jack 13. The free end of the rod of jack 13 is in its turn pivotally secured to the upper end of a vertical bracket 14. The comb-shaped members 3 comprise vertical plates, the upper edges of which are provided with vertical notches 15 (FIG. 7) underneath each of which is formed a port 16.

The slats 2 are provided at their lower ends with vertical depending projections 17 terminating each with a horizontal hook 18.

The securing of the slats 2 to the comb-shaped members 3 is ensured in the following manner:

The depending projections 17 are caused to engage the notches 15 as illustrated in FIG. 7, after which a shifting of the comb-shaped members 3 in the direction of the arrow 19 provides for the engagement of the ports 16 over the hooks 18. In order to lock the slats 2 in the position thus obtained over the comb-shaped members 3 of each element of the movable plate, a small bar 21 is resorted to. Bar 21 is urged into engagement with the rear ends of the hooks 18 and is secured to the lateral surface of one of the comb-shaped members 3.

The slats 22 (FIG. 6) of the stationary plate are carried by comb-shaped members 23 which are identical With the comb-shaped members 3. However, the notches 15 in comb-shaped members 23 are shifted by one-half pitch interval with reference to those provided in the combshaped members 3.

These comb-shaped members 23 are connected by crossmembers 24 which are identical with the cross-members 4. Cross-members 24 are carried in their turn by stationary girders 25. The cross-members 24 extend between the cross-members 4 in a manner such that the latter cannot impinge against them.

The operation of the arrangement is as follows:

A load 26 is first laid on the stationary plate illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4 by a mere line 22 defining the upper edge of the slats of the stationary plate. The slats 2 of the movable plate are shown in their lower positions as also are the rods of the jacks 7. Furthermore, the rod of the jack 13 being collapsed, slats 2 have receded into their extreme right hand side position illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4.

When the jacks 7 are fed simultaneously, the slats 2 are raised to alevel above that of the slats 22 and consequently said slats 2 raise the load 26 off the stationary plate. When the slats 22 have reached their upper position as shown in FIG. 2, the jack 13 is fed-so as to shift the movable plate in the direction of the arrow 27 (FIG. 3) the girders 5 running over the rollers 6. The load 26 is thus carried along over a distance 28 (FIGS. 2 and 3) corresponding to the stroke of the piston of the jack 13. The rods of the jacks 7 are then returned into their lower position so that the load 26 is returned onto the stationary plate (FIG. 4). The jack 13 is then fed so as to operate in the opposite direction, the movable plate is returned into its starting position as illustrated in FIG. 1.

At the end of the first cycle of movements of the movable plate, the load 26 has been thus shifted by length 28 over the stationary plate. It is suflicient to repeat the .cycle so :as to convey the load .26 throughout the length of the conveying means.

In order to take into account the slight unavoidable phase-shifting between the .ditferentelements during the vertical movements of the rods of the jacks 7, the different elements of the movable plate are-connected by fish-plates 9 which may be replaced by torsion bars 29 as illustrated in FIG. 5.

The duration of progression may be adjusted by in creasing or reducing the duration of the cycle of operations, the ratio between the durations of the vertical and of the horizontal movements remaining constant.

What I claim is:

1. A conveyor comprising: a stationary horizontal support member including a plurality of longitudinally extending and mutually transversely displaced slats; a

movable horizontal support member, said movable support member comprising at least two longitudinally displaced sections, means for articulately connecting said sections to permit relative vertical movement between said sections and unified horizontal movement of said sections, each of said sections including a plurality of longitudinally extending and mutually transversely dis- .placed slats, the slats .of said sections being interleaved with the slats of said stationary horizontal support member; means for vertically displacing said first section; means for vertically displacing said second section; and, means connected to one of said sections for horizontally moving said first and second sections simultaneously.

2. The conveyor of claim 1 wherein said connecting means includes fish plate means pivotably connected to said first and second sections.

3. The conveyor of claim 1 wherein said connecting means includes torsion bar means connectedto said first and second sections.

4. A conveyor comprising: a stationary horizontal-support member including a plurality of longitudinally extending and mutually transversely displaced slats; a movable horizontal support member, said movable support member comprising at least two longitudinally displaced sections, means for articulately connecting'said sections to permit relative vertical movement between said sections and unified horizontal movement of said sections, each of'said sections including a plurality of longitudinally extending and mutually transversely displaced slats, the slats of said sections being interleaved with the slats of said stationary horizontal support member; at least two jack means disposed under said first section for vertically displacing the slats of said first section with respect to the slats of said stationary horizontal support member; at least two further jack means disposed under said second section for vertically displacing the slats of said second section with respect to the slats of said stationary horizontal support member; and means connected to one of said sections for horizontally moving said first and second sections simultaneously.

5. A conveyor comprising: stationary horizontal grate means including a plurality of longitudinally extending and mutually transversely spaced slats; a movable horizontal grate means including at least first and second longitudinally displaced sections, each of said sections comprising a plurality of slats and means for supporting said slats longitudinally and transversely spaced from each other, and interleaved with the slats of said stationary horizontal grate member; means for connecting said sections for permitting relative vertical movement between said sections and unified horizontal movement of said sections; first roller means for supporting said first section; second roller means for supporting said second section; first driving means for vertically displacing said first roller mean-s; second driving means for vertically displacing said second roller means; and means connected to one of said sections for horizontally moving said first and second sections simultaneously.

6. The conveyor of claim 5 wherein said first and second roller means are each a pair of longitudinally displaced rollers and said first and second driving means are each a pair of longitudinally displaced jacks.

7. The conveyor of claim 5 wherein said connecting means comprises fish plate means pivotally connected to said first and second sections.

8. The conveyor of claim 5 wherein said connecting means comprises a torsion bar means connected to said first and second sections.

9. The conveyor of claim 5 wherein said slat support means includes first and second longitudinally extending 0 and transversely displaced girders and at least first and second comb members transversely spanning said girders and fixed thereto, said comb members being provided with a plurality of notches and an opening beneath each notch, and the slats of said sections having end portions including downwardly extending projections for resting in said notches, and said downwardly extending projections including hook portions for engaging said comb members through the agency of said openings.

10. The conveyor of claim 9 wherein said support means includes bar members removably connected to said comb members and disposed against said downwardly extending projections for maintaining said slats in engagement with said comb members.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,315,205 3/1943 Herold 198-219 2,940,490 6/1960 Hummelheber 1982l9 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,180,342 12/1958 France.

SAMUEL F. COLEMAN, Primary Examiner. 

1. A CONVEYOR COMPRISING: A STATIONARY HORIZONTAL SUPPORT MEMBER INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING AND MUTUALLY TRANSVERSELY DISPLACED SLATS; A MOVABLE HORIZONTAL SUPPORT MEMBER, SAID MOVABLE SUPPORT MEMBER COMPRISING AT LEAST TWO LONGITUDINALLY DISPLACED SECTIONS, MEANS FOR ARTICULATELY CONNECTING SAID SECTIONS TO PERMIT RELATIVE VERTICAL MOVEMENT BETWEEN SAID SECTIONS AND UNIFIED HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT OF SAID SECTIONS, EACH OF SAID SECTIONS INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING AND MUTUALLY TRANSVERSELY DISPLACED SLATS, THE SLATS OF SAID SECTIONS BEING INTERLEAVED WITH THE SLATS OF SAID STATIONARY HORIZONTAL SUPPORT MEMBER; MEANS FOR VERTICALLY DISPLACING SAID FIRST SECTION; MEANS FOR VERTICALLY DISPLACING SAID SECOND SECTION; AND MEANS CONNECTED TO ONE OF SAID SECTIONS FOR HORIZONTALLY MOVING SAID FIRST AND SECOND SECTIONS SIMULTANEOUSLY. 